Whole Woman’s Health Responds to the 5th Circuit Ruling on Texas HB2

Texas women and families suffered a blow today when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit took away essential health care for all Texans. Their decision once again will push abortion care out of reach for too many Texas women.

After taking nearly 6 months to rule, the 5th Circuit has issued its opinion and, as expected, it is a near-total loss. The injunction we received from the Supreme Court against every part of the law is to be lifted, with two minor exceptions, specifically related to Whole Woman’s Health of McAllen. At this time we are still analyzing the decision to see if the relief granted to Whole Woman’s Health of McAllen will allow us to keep our doors open.

The decision doesn’t take effect immediately – we have approximately 22 days before it does so. All Whole Woman’s Health clinics will remain open for this time period and we will go up to the Supreme Court on an emergency basis in the meantime.

All Texas abortion clinics are now, once again, subject to politically imposed, medically unnecessary requirements—requirements that are so onerous that they leave me no choice but to officially close the doors of every remaining abortion clinic in the state, leaving only a handful of ASC’s located only in the major metropolitan areas leaving thousands of women without access in the largest state in the continental USA.

Politicians put a road full of unnecessary hurdles in front of every woman in Texas who has decided to end her pregnancy. For nearly one million Texas women, the repercussions of this ruling will be devastating. Ending a pregnancy will mean traveling at least 300 miles and overcoming needless hurdles such as additional costs, childcare, time off, and immigration checkpoints. This is simply unacceptable.

It’s bad enough that the politicians that we—the people of Texas—elected to protect and represent our communities have turned their backs us, and now, the justice system has too. But let me assure you, Whole Woman’s Health remains committed to supporting women and families across the state.

Whole Woman’s Health will fight to provide the full spectrum of reproductive health services, including abortion care, in a caring, holistic, and safe environment.

No matter what the outcome of this case is, Whole Woman’s Health will continue to remain open to serve women in the Southwest with our surgical center facility in San Antonio and in our New Mexico clinic, which serves the women of New Mexico and West Texas.

We are invigorated by the outpouring of support that we continue to receive not only from Texans, but from people across the country. We are more determined than ever and will stop at nothing to preserve Texas women’s access to safe abortion care—and that includes taking this battle to the United States Supreme Court.

Texas, we stand with you and ask that you continue to stand with us. Stand with us as we fight back. Stand with us as we join with others to build lasting power and create the change that will bring back our health care. If we stand together we can turn our state into one that respects our health and our decision-making.